Center Stage
by TwistedRocketPower
Summary: The X Factor could make their lives so much better. It could open up doors that they thought had already been sealed shut. It could make their past mistakes worth the pain, and give them new hope for the future. Or, it could destroy them.


**_Interviews and/or anything that is televised, is in italics. (Also, the city and state where the auditions are held.)_**

* * *

_Greensboro, North Carolina_

"Ah! I'm so excited! Aren't you guys excited? I'm so excited!"

"Rachel, relax! Remember how you _promised_ you wouldn't do this if I came with you?" Kurt reminded her with a pointed look.

She sighed, "Yes, I remember, Kurt. It was a moment of weakness, that's all."

"Mhm," Kurt replied with an eye roll.

"What about you, Finn? Aren't you looking forward to auditioning?" She asked, turning back to where Finn was standing behind them.

"I don't get why I'm here, Rachel. I'm not good enough for something like this."

"Finn, you gotta give yourself a confidence boost before you audition. You'll never make it with that attitude and you _are_ good enough," Kurt told him, keeping his eyes forward so he could move up the second the line moved. He never would have come if he would have known he'd have to stand outside for most of the day... Or he'd have at least brought sunscreen.

"Kurt's right, Finn. When we were watching the show last season you told me you'd love to audition for something like this, so here we are."

"I was hoping you wouldn't remember," He mumbled.

"Well, I did, so get over it and go over your song."

They all moved up in the line, and Kurt grumbled when they stopped just before reaching the inside.

"Kurt," Rachel said, gaining his attention as she rooted through the backpack purse she brought with her.

"What?"

"This," She began, pausing as she grabbed hold of a piece of paper. She jerked it out of the bag and handed it to him, "is for you."

He eyed the paper carefully, then glared up at her when he realized it was lyrics to a song. "What... Is this?" He asked carefully.

"_That_ is the song you will be performing for the judges today."

Kurt laughed. He looked up at Finn to make sure he was laughing too, but Finn was purposely looking away to avoid eye contact.

"Why am I the only one laughing?" He asked, then the smile slowly faded from his face. "Rachel, why are you two not laughing?"

"Because I'm serious, Kurt. You're auditioning."

"No, I'm not."

"I told you this was a bad idea," Finn mumbled.

"Be quiet, Finn. Kurt, you _are_ auditioning, okay? What have you got to lose?"

"My dignity!"

"Oh, screw dignity. Need I remind you of all the times we performed in front of less-than-thrilled audiences in high school? One of two things will happen. One: you're told no and you go back to Lima Community College. Or, two: you make it through and we go to LA! We could all get out of here, Kurt. If Finn and I both made it through and we had to leave you behind, I would feel awful. Especially knowing the voice you have on you." She poked him with her finger, "You're doing this."

Kurt took a deep breath, then sighed, "I don't have all the stuff I need to enter."

"You know me better than that, Kurt. I had Finn and your dad get everything you needed."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed, "My dad was in on this too?"

"Of course he was," Rachel replied with a shrug, like Kurt should have known that Burt would be a part of the plan.

Kurt looked down at the lyrics in his hand, his heart now pounding nervously as he thought about who he'd soon be auditioning for.

* * *

"Sam... Sam... Sam!"

"What? What is it?" Sam asked, whipping his head back in Blaine's direction.

"The lines moving," Blaine replied, pointing forward to show Sam.

"Oh, right."

Thy moved forward, a smile playing on Blaine's lips. "You know they aren't paying any attention to you, right?" He asked.

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

"You know what you're singing, right? Like, you have everything you need?"

"Of course. But I'm mainly here for support, you know? This is your thing."

"You're gonna make it through, Sam. You're a great singer."

"Yes, but I'm no Blaine Anderson," Sam replied, squeezing Blaine's shoulders.

"Well, of course not," Blaine joked. "But, seriously, I don't want to go to LA alone, if I even make it through. I want my best friend with me."

"I'll try my hardest," Sam said, his attention leaving Blaine mid sentence as the girls he'd been staring at earlier looked over.

Blaine rolled his eyes, "Mhm."

* * *

"We need to practice again," Quinn said as she, Brittany, and Santana stood inside the bathroom at the stadium, fixing their lip gloss and hair.

"Ugh, we do not. We keep practicing and we'll look like those over rehearsed weirdos that we always make fun of," Santana replied, fluffing her hair.

"I think my eyes moved closer together," Brittany informed them, pulling her cheeks down to take a closer look at her eyes.

Quinn sighed, ignoring Brittany. "If we don't know our steps-"

"We _know_ them," Santana interrupted. "We've known them for years."

"Fine. Whatever," Quinn said, raising her arms in defeat, "but this is my final chance out of this godforsaken place, and if either of you screw it up-"

"Oh, chill. We'll be the sexiest tramps those judges have ever seen."

"Are we gonna be on trampolines?" Brittany questioned.

"That's not what it means," Quinn replied, rolling her eyes. "And we are _not_ tramps, Santana."

"Mhm. Tell that to the guy that kept staring at us in line."

* * *

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed as she tugged on Kurt's arm. They had just finished signing in and were now looking for a place to sit down.

"What?" Kurt asked, pulling his arm away from her.

"They're doing interviews right over there! Oh my God, I have to do one!"

"They probably just go up to the people they want, Rachel," Finn said as she began running her fingers through her hair.

"Then I'll make them want me. I won't give them a choice. What should I do? Should I casually bump into one of the interviewers? Should I just sit in the chair once that other guy leaves and then be like, "oh, I'm sorry, I thought this was just an ordinary chair." Or should I-"

"Why don't you just stand up on a chair back here and start singing," Kurt joked, "That'll get their attention."

Rachel's eyes widened. "I could do that! And it could scare some of the competition away at the same time!" Her eyes began scanning for a chair to stand on.

"No, Rachel!" Kurt exclaimed, "I was joking. You're not doing that."

"But-"

_"No!"_

"Ugh!"

* * *

"Did you hear the interview?" Sam asked with a smile as he walked back over to Blaine.

"Yeah, most of it. Got kinda sidetracked," Blaine replied, still staring over at the three people across the room, the girl looking a little insane. He shook his head as the taller boy led her over to a seat, then turned his attention back to Sam, "Some people are crazy."

He laughed, "No kidding."

"I did hear you mention me in your interview, however. The 'best friend who I'm mainly here to support' line. Thanks for that."

Sam shrugged, "Well, it's true. I told you before, I'm only auditioning because you wanted me to. I'm here to support you, and possibly get out of Ohio in the process."

"You love singing, Sam," Blaine reminded him.

"I know, I know." They were both quiet for a moment, then Sam sighed, "It'd be great for my family too..."

* * *

"So, just tell me a little bit about yourselves; you know, the group name, how long you've been together, dynamic of the group... Stuff like that. It's simple."

Quinn nodded from her spot in between Santana and Brittany, a bright smile on her face. She heard Santana whisper something about getting her flirt eyes on, and Brittany say she wished she could have brought her cat as a fourth member, but ignored them both and focused on the interview they were about to do.

_"Okay, so let's begin. What's your individual names? What's the group name? How long have you been together?"_

_"I'm Quinn Fabray."_

_"Santana Lopez."_

_"Brittany S. Pierce."_

_"And we are the Unholy Trinity," Quinn continued. "We've been together since we were freshmen in high school. We were on our cheerleading squad together, but didn't start singing until we were juniors. Santana and I are in college now, and Brittany just got her GED, but singing is what we really want to do."_

_"Yeah, we tried being apart from each other," Santana said with a smile, "but I just can't seem to stay away from these annoying brats."_

_"It was really hard when we were apart," Brittany added. Santana and Quinn looked over at her, surprised that she was saying anything. "They both graduated in time, but I was being held back. Santana went off to California and Quinn went to Kansas-"_

_"Kentucky," Quinn corrected._

_"And I had to stay in Texas."_

_"You guys came all the way from Texas?" The interviewer questioned, "One of our stops is Austin this year. Why'd you come all the way here?"_

_They all glanced at each other for a moment before Santana replied, "We just decided on a little road trip, and this was one of the stops."_

* * *

It was weird, having the cameras around. Kurt almost ran into them twice. He felt like he couldn't say anything, in fear that it would be caught on camera and he'd be made to look like a jerk, or a dork, or like he had no idea what he was doing... Well, they wouldn't be wrong with the last one. Kurt had no idea why he was there. He just wanted to be back home where it was safe and he didn't run the risk of being told he was an idiot by Simon Cowell.

"Okay, when I call your number, line up in front of me!" A man yelled, bringing Kurt out of his thoughts. "13954, 13955, 13956, 13957-"

"Oh my God, that's me!" Rachel exclaimed, jumping up, quickly hugging Kurt and Finn, then getting in line.

"We're doing a little jump now. 14790, 14791, 14792-"

Finn took a deep breath and stood, "I think I'm gonna barf."

Kurt stood and hugged him, "You'll do great."

"Thanks."

"Okay, one more jump. 17624, 17625, and 17626."

Kurt's stomach sank. He was hoping he'd have more time before he'd have to go on stage. Or, at least enough alone time to bolt out the door. He stood and joined the group, Finn and Rachel immediately finding him and moving to his side.

"Okay, there should be ten of you here. If you'll all follow me, we'll get you ready to go on."

* * *

The group of ten made their way to the back, most of them nervously chatting with one another.

Once there, the man placed them in even smaller groups. Kurt, Rachel, and Finn were placed together, two girls who knew one another were in the next group, then the others were alone.

"Okay," The man said, gaining their attention, "If you're grouped together, it means you came together. It also means your families aren't with you, so you will be waiting backstage while your friends go in front of the judges. Those who are alone, your families will be joining you in just a moment. Sit tight until we call you, then you'll come with us, okay?"

"This is great!" Rachel exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "We get to be each others moral support!"

Kurt let out a deep breath, "I think I'm gonna puke," He said, not hearing anything Rachel had said.

"We can share a toilet," Finn replied.

* * *

_"Yes."_

_"Yes."_

_"A very big yes!"_

_"Yes."_

_Rachel's eyes widened, "Oh my... Are you serious? Thank you! Thank you so much!" She waved as she ran backstage, running straight into Finn and Kurt's arms. "Ah! I made it! Oh my God!" She exclaimed, tears going down her face._

_"Congratulations!" Finn said with a bright smile on his face._

_Kurt laughed, "I'm so happy for you!"_

_"I told you! I told you guys! We're getting out of our cow town!"_

_"We haven't all made it yet, Rach!" Finn reminded her, although he was still smiling for her._

_"But we will! I know it!"_

_Just then, a woman tapped on Finn's shoulder._

_"You're up," She said, smiling at the group._

_"Break a leg!" Rachel said, pulling him in for another hug._

* * *

_Finn couldn't believe it. He had actually gotten three yeses. That was three more than he ever expected. He came back to Rachel's excited, open arms, and his brother smiling brightly at him._

_"That was amazing, Finn!" Kurt said as Rachel let him go._

_"Thanks," Finn replied._

_"You're up next," A different woman said, her hand on Kurt's back._

_Kurt took a deep breath, "I really wish I would have had more than six hours to prepare."_

_"You could have if I didn't have to trick you into it," Rachel said with a smile._

_Finn pulled him in for a hug, "You'll kill it, bro."_

_"Okay, here's your microphone. Go up those steps and the man up there will tell you when to go on. Good luck!"_

_Kurt took another deep breath then walked up the steps, stopping when he reached the man at the top._

_"Ready to go?" The man asked._

_"I don't suppose you have a button that sends me back to my house, do you?"_

_"No," He laughed._

_"Then, I'm ready."_

_"Alright... Go."_

_Kurt walked out onto the stage, trying to both take in the crowd and ignore the crowd's existence all at once._

_"Hello," Britney began as the crowd settled down from clapping. "How are you?"_

_"I'm good... Nervous, but good," Kurt replied, letting out a shaky laugh._

_"What's your name?"_

_"Kurt Hummel."_

_"Tell us a little about yourself, Kurt," LA took over._

_"Um, well, I'm nineteen, I graduated high school last year, and I had no idea I'd be auditioning today so I'm very unprepared."_

_"Wait, you didn't know you'd be auditioning?" LA questioned._

_"No, I thought I was just coming to support my friend and step-brother."_

_"Were those the last two that were out here?" Simon asked._

_"Yes, that was them," Kurt smiled, "They're very happy right now."_

_"I bet. Well, good luck to you, Kurt. Start whenever you're ready."_

_Kurt looked over to the side and nodded to let the man know he was ready, then held tightly onto his microphone and began to sing._

* * *

"Ugh, he's good too!" Blaine moaned, staring at the TV in the waiting area. All of the waiting contestants could watch those who were currently in front of the judges, and Blaine had been taking advantage of that. He wouldn't move from his spot in front of the monitor.

"You're great too. It'll be fine."

"He was with the crazy girl I was watching in here earlier; the one who went on before the tall one. They were all three together."

"Oh, so _that_ was the friend and step-brother he was talking about."

"That would be correct, Sam. Oh, they're judging now! Shut up, I have to know if he made it through."

"You're the one talking, man."

"Sh!"

_"You have a very distinct voice, Kurt. I think you're different. I like that. I say yes," LA began._

_The other three all added there input, and Kurt was left with four yeses, and a very confused look on his face._

Blaine watched as Kurt's friend and step-brother ran out onto the stage and gave him a big hug, bringing him out of his trance.

_"We're all going! We're all going!" Rachel exclaimed, jumping up and down._

_"Good job, Kurt!" Finn said, hoping Kurt could hear him over Rachel's screams._

_The judges were laughing as the group walked off the stage while saying 'thank you!' repeatedly._

* * *

Sam watched as Blaine smiled at the screen. "You think he's hot, don't you?" He joked, poking Blaine's side with his finger.

"Shh!" Blaine exclaimed, glancing around to make so no one was around. "Do you keep forgetting you're the only one who knows?"

"No, I didn't forget. I also knew no one was near us. It's fine, Blaine."

"I just... No one else can know right now."

"I know."

* * *

"I can't believe we're really going to California!" Quinn practically squealed as she, Brittany, and Santana walked happily back to their car.

Santana laughed, "You have got to chill, Fabray. You're losing it."

"I don't care. Finally _something_ is going right."

"So what do we do now?" Brittany asked. "We don't start boot camp for another month."

"We've got enough money to just travel around until then," Santana assured her. "We'll be fine."

* * *

_"So, how do you guys feel, making it to boot camp?"_

_Blaine shook his head, still shocked after just coming off of the stage._

_"It's incredible!" Sam replied, smiling brightly. "I came here to be with Blaine, and he convinced me to try out, and I'm so glad he did! I can't believe it!"_

_"And how do you feel, Blaine?"_

_"I'm just... I'm shocked," Blaine said, letting out a laugh. "I just graduated high school, and now I'm here, and... It's just... I'm shocked!"_

_"Well, get ready you guys. Boot camp will be intense. Good luck!"_

_"Thank you."_

_"Thanks!"_

Blaine and Sam walked off, heading toward the exit to get to Sam's car and go to a hotel for the night.

"We're going to California, Sam," Blaine said, disbelievingly. "_California_. We're really getting out."

"I know," Sam replied, putting his arm around Blaine's shoulder. "I can't wait."

* * *

_"Well, that's it for the first round of auditions, and that's all for North Carolina. After thousands of auditions, only two hundred and twelve made it through. We'll see you next time, in Austin, Texas."_

* * *

**Phew. This took a while. It's been stuck in my head since I watched this season of The X Factor, and I just couldn't get it out. I don't pretend to know everything that happens on The X Factor, so I'm sure some stuff will be wrong, but I'll try to stick as close to the real thing as possible.**

**Also, updates might be crazy. I have other stories (and, surprisingly, a life. Who knew?) to tend to. But, it shouldn't take too long for each chapter to get out.  
**

**Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


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